you were my reason to write
by Faineift
Summary: In which Kageyama and Hinata write sticky notes for each other in the beginning but don't have the nerve to give them to the other. At least, until they build up, of course. (But maybe, in the end, when all the words are exchanged and perhaps they don't need words at all anymore, just maybe, it'll be worth it in the end).


**A/N** : This story, this idea, has been in planning for... longer than I'm proud to admit. It must have been over a year now, and this has been sitting, mostly written, but not quite done, in my documents.

...And now, I'm proud to present that I've finish this.

This is dedicated to my waifu, my friend who's been with me for longer than I've expected her to be here for, and accepts - oh my god, how do you deal with me? - me when I'm dying over a well-written angst fic, fangirling over my otp, or just me in general. Honestly, how are you still here? She was also the one who gave me this prompt - something cute and fluffy to try to make me happy. Please never leave. c:

I'm glad to have finally finished this, even if it's been _a while_ and my otp feels have died down lots. ^^ Anyone who reads this, I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: As always, this is a fanmade story and I do not claim any ownership onto Haikyuu! at all. Thank you!

* * *

 **you were my reason to write**

There was something delicate about the noise.

Surely, crinkling paper couldn't make such a sound. But it did. It was reminiscent of a light blue sky or a glass slipper. As if it was fragile enough to shatter at the slightest touch.

The papers swirled in the air, even as Hinata woke up from this dream.

He blinked, blearily, his room letting in beams of white light through the blinds of his windows. The dream... it was surely a message. For Hinata, to tell him to do what he finally had to do.

But amidst the papers fluttering in his dream, only one coherent thought could find its way into his mind.

 _'It started as a simple way to show appreciation.'_

-/-/-/-

' _Thank you for all the tosses you give me! –Hinata'_

That was what the first sticky note had said. A cute, small, and somewhat dorky note to hand to Kageyama to show how grateful he was for his tosses.

Hinata smiled. ' _I'll be sure to give this to him tomorrow!'_ he thought.

But the sticky note had no place within his cluttered bag, filled with his binders and notes and volleyball clothes.

And so the sticky note was left in the drawer of his desk, waiting with the words unsaid, to be given to one Kageyama Tobio.

(It was the first of many, although he had no way of knowing that.)

' _Thank you for being there to spike my tosses. –Kageyama'_

Kageyama stood, tense though he was alone, awkwardly examining the small sticky note he held in his hand.

Words didn't come easily for Kageyama, but he hoped – or rather, he knew – that that would change soon enough.

For the time being, a sticky note would suffice. He hoped his appreciation would show through.

But getting the nerve to actually give it to the sunshine-and-idiocy that was Hinata was harder than it seemed. He supposed that he'd work up the courage soon enough.

But until that day came, the sticky note lay forgotten on a corner of his desk.

And what would happen if, no, _when,_ the cycle repeats?

The two of them were about to find out.

-/-/-/-

The telltale signal of the start of lunch rang in Kageyama's ears.

The bell blared on as the students stopped taking notes and started conversing. Their teacher, smiling, put down the chalk and watched them as the classroom filled with the sound of chatter and textbooks closing.

Unlike the others, once the bell rang, Kageyama started to silently count.

' _3...'_

' _2...'_

' _1...'_

 _..._

"Oi," says a voice he's come to know all-too-well. "Kageyama!"

Part of him wishes that Hinata would stop yelling his name across the room because it brings them both unnecessary attention. But as he grabs his already-packed bag and walks across the room to meet him, the other part of him decides that he simply doesn't care.

Against the dull colours of the hallway and the blur of passing students, Hinata stands out. "Got your lunch?"

(Especially when he smiles).

Kageyama nods and slides his bag strap up his shoulder. Hinata, who is only wearing the strap of his lunchbox on his, nods back. "Okay, let's go then."

Hinata usually picks the place where they eat and Kageyama can't find it in himself to mind. Usually, however, they eat outside. Kageyama typically gets a milk carton from the vending machine and Hinata likes to practice his volleyball skills after he finishes eating. Of course, he joins in as well.

So it's understandable as to why Kageyama is surprised when instead of taking a straight through the doors, Hinata turns right to head up the stairwell.

' _The roof?'_ Kageyama thinks. They don't go there often. It's nice, sure, but they can't really play volleyball up there, in fear that the ball may go over the edge and hit someone on the head.

Surely Daichi would reprimand them for that and he involuntarily shivers at the thought.

But Kageyama knows it himself that this timing is perfect.

If they can't play volleyball after they eat, then there will be time for Kageyama to finally stop hesitating. His mind once again wanders to the sticky notes that currently lay at the bottom of his bag.

Kageyama wonders when all of this got so difficult.

-/-

With his back to Kageyama, Hinata thinks that he definitely cannot see the nervous gesture of him twiddling his thumbs.

And he definitely thinks - okay, Hinata _hopes_ \- that Kageyama can't hear the rapid beating of his heart, racing as fast as it does whenever he hits his tosses.

He pats a pocket on his lunch bag, thinking for the umpeeth time about the sticky notes he placed in there. ' _It's about time I gave him these…'_ He nearly had a heart attack seeing the huge pile of them when he opened one of his desk drawers.

Well, not _immediately_. At first, he was confused at why his drawer was cluttered with paper. After reading one was when he realized what they all must be, and suddenly the prospect of reading the rest was unbearable.

Over time, curiosity won over embarrassment and he reached toward the pieces of paper. He did so tentatively, as if a mere touch would burn his skin.

" _Your tosses make me smile!"_

" _I'm really, really grateful to have you at Karasuno._

 _I wouldn't have anyone else, even if we could somehow replace you ?"_

" _It just dawned on me how talented you are as a setter."_

" _In a game, or even just during lunch or something._

 _you're amazing."_

Had Hinata taken the time to stop and open the drawer of his desk a month or so earlier, he would've seen the already-quite-large pile of notes with genuine, raw feelings scribbled on them. ' _oh my god oh my god,'_ he would've thought.

He would've read all of them eventually - no matter how much he tried to resist - and thought that there was absolutely no possible way that this could escalate any further than it already had.

And then while he would've been embarrassed and probably hide his face in his jersey every single time he saw Kageyama during practice for the next week, he would hand Kageyama the note note pile that contained sticky notes with only words of appreciative comments.

This all would've happened, had Hinata just opened his drawer earlier.

It was not to be.

He couldn't comprehend _how_ , exactly, but the sticky notes changed. They changed from a way to express his gratitude to Kageyama, to expressing... (he winced) _everything he liked about him_.

It took about everything in his being to not bring his hands up to his face and cringe. He focused on his steady footsteps resounding in the stairwell, as his mind flashed through what he had wrote.

" _I like how although you may reprimand and yell at me during practice, I know you're just as excited as me.'_

" _I like the colour of your eyes - how the intensity of the blue changes in the middle of a heated match."_

" _I like our competitions, strangely enough. But when we're competing me and you, it doesn't really feel strange at all…"_

" _I like..._

As Hinata pushes open the door to the rooftop, the cold steel under his hands, he's greeted with a cool breeze that somehow calms him down. Just slightly, but it feels good when his heart is racing faster than normal.

He closes his eyes. And before fluttering shut, his eyes roll slyly, slowly, behind him…

One heartbeat passes and another goes by just as quick.

"What are you doing?" Kageyama asks, his tone innocently confused. Not rude; just mildly inquisitive. "Hurry, so we can eat lunch."

Kageyama's voice jolts him out of his reverie and also temporarily out of his inner turmoil. He didn't realize he was still standing in the doorway, blocking the path.

"Right, sorry!" With his reflexes plus being startled, he quickly jumps out of the way. ' _Wow… That must've been pretty lame, haha…'_

It's a good thing he doesn't realize that, with all of his energy and enthusiasm, such actions of his are actually more common than he thinks. It may or may not be a good thing that he doesn't realize that everyone has already gotten used to them.

He doesn't know they've accepted that what he does just makes up his endearing personality and that they love him all the same (and maybe more).

In the same way, it may or may not be a good thing that he doesn't realize Kageyama isn't paying attention to his flustered actions at all. Hinata doesn't realize that when Kageyama brushes past him, he's walking a bit _too_ quickly and more briskly than normal.

Hinata doesn't realize that Kageyama's also a bit flustered and lost in his thoughts, for a reason entirely too similar to his own.

-/-/-/-

If it was possible for their silences to be uncomfortable, the one that sat in the air as they ate their lunches may have been.

Luckily, after spending so much time together during practice and what not, it wasn't.

It, however, still did nothing to change the fact that both of them were nervous.

Hinata stared into his lunch box. He was unable to sit still, and it had nothing to do with sitting on the smooth, tiled floor of the school roof. Just when he thought he was calm, he'd feel a spasm run through him and he'd jump - just slightly, but enough to keep him on-edge.

After another sudden bout of shaking, Kageyama's attention was drawn to the orange-haired boy beside him. "Oi, Hinata." His eyebrows were raised in a slight, pondering amusement. "Are you cold? You're shaking like a leaf."

"N-nono! I'm fine I'm fine! It's just that- ah- I mean, nothing, nothing of course!"

Kageyama's brow furrowed slightly, u _ntil_ he remembered that he had reason to be more worried about himself – his eyes moved towards his bag, and then he quickly jolted them away. He looked up at the sky, at a few lonesome clouds. They were being blown about by a steady wind outside.

He kept his gaze up at the clear blue sky, while Hinata kept his down, blushing slightly, to avoid looking at Kageyama.

They ate in silence for the next few minutes, none of them really noticing the time. At the moment, they were just two nervous high schoolers, eating lunch about thirty centimetres apart, thinking that "the moment of truth" would soon be upon them.

Hinata finished his lunch first. After a pause and a deep breath, "...Hey, Kageyama, I-"

But he was shortly interrupted by a series of coughs by the black-haired male. Okay, so _maybe_ he ate a little too fast. He was nervous and his mind was on other things, so his movements weren't as careful.

You couldn't say that it was entirely his fault. On the contrary, he would argue that it was-

 _'It's as if...'_ Kageyama thought, wryly, _"being near him causes his energy to rub off on me, and I just can't help myself from trying to match his pace.'_

Hinata though, of course didn't catch Kageyama's thoughts and was startled. "Eh? Are you okay!? Should I run downstairs and get you a milk carton?"

After beating his chest a few times, Kageyama heaved a deep breath. "...Dummy. The vending machine is at least three floors away from here. Are you planning to tire yourself out? I'd have stopped coughing by the time you got back."

A blink. "Oh, right."

"I'm fine. Were you saying something earlier?"

"O-oh, uhm, yeah. I wanted-" Hinata stopped as he put his hand on the side pocket of his lunch box. ' _Something here isn't right...'_

It was Kageyama's turn not to catch Hinata's thoughts. "...What's wrong?"

The other boy was oblivious to his words. Hinata felt his stomach clench into knots when he realizes that the pocket on the side of his lunch box was much too small; if all his sticky notes were in here, he would at least feel a bump.

The only logical explanation is that, no, his sticky notes were not where he believed he had placed them. His heart pounded.

So then where were they?

Hinata hurriedly thought back to this morning. He was sure that he placed them in the pocket of his lunch box, while he was at his house. This was because he was planning to give the sticky notes to Kageyama at lunch, he recalled with certainty.

And with a growing horror, he abruptly remembered that as he got to his shoe locker that morning, he thought it would be better to give the sticky notes earlier than that. After all, then he wouldn't have to face Kageyama as he read them. To avoid embarrassment, he decided to give them to him when they had a moment, between classes or so. Then he could rush off and be anxious somewhere else, not in Kageyama's presence.

And the result of this thought?

He had taken the sticky notes out, and placed them in one of the smaller pockets of his school bag. His school bag that was _currently sitting in his classroom_ , and not on the roof beside him.

Did he have enough time to get them and come back? ...No. He spent time getting to Kageyama's class and then they took their time walking to the roof. They ate their lunches at a leisurely pace since they knew they wouldn't be playing volleyball afterwards as well. Hinata certainly wasn't in any rush to finish eating either, for then it would be time to...

And now there wasn't enough time.

With a small sigh, Hinata allowed himself a tiny smile and felt a wave of disappointment roll over him.

"...Hinata?"

"It's nothing," he said, automatically, with a one-sided shoulder shrug.. He brought his head upward to face Kageyama, letting him see the smile on his face - even if it was small, Kageyama would see him smiling.

He knew that smiles were great masks, as when they're worn, they can easily hide any other negative emotions that may be present on one's face at that moment. And so Kageyama turned away, not realizing that Hinata felt something _heavy_ \- the feeling that he had missed a life-changing opportunity.

-/-

Kageyama felt himself become confused as he beheld the smile on Hinata's face that seemed less energetic than normal. It was…. different, somehow, he thought, as he glanced at the blue backdrop of the sky. Suddenly, it didn't seem to contrast Hinata as much as it usually did.

He knew something was off, and yet he could not be blamed for not realizing immediately. A moment's thought _was_ given, but then his attention was directed back to his own task at hand.

Unconsciously, he grasped the bag strap beside him, eyes closing as he braced himself to open one of the bottom pockets and bring out a pile of tiny papers.

' _I've had enough time to stall and enough time to worry, but not enough time to do something that actually matters - like handing these over..'_

And so while Hinata mildly sulked beside him, he started to unzip the pocket (while also trying to control his now-noticed quickened heartbeat).

His hands quivered slightly, for a reason that was not related to the coolness of the zipper. He almost opened it, when suddenly, a strong breeze blew against his bangs and he winced, not expecting the chill.

...The wind...

Kageyama remembered noting that the rooftop was somewhat windswept that day, standing behind Hinata in the open doorway of the stairwell. There was a gust that blew in. And a constant current outside as they ate, too.

His eyes lowered to his hand, still holding the zipper.

Was there maybe...

Was there a chance that, if he opened this zipper, the sticky notes would fly out and away? Out of his grasp? All of those words that he really meant, gone?

' _Yes_ ,' he thought with slight horror. ' _Yes, there was.'_

' _And that would be absolutely terrible,'_ Kageyama decided. Just the possibility of losing these precious pieces of paper after so long was abysmal to think about! And if they flew away, what would Hinata think about him keeping all those loose papers just haphazardly in a pocket?

" _Wow, Kageyama. Could you get any more disorganized?"_

Even worse, what if one ended up in someone's hands? The _wrong_ person's hands. And that person _read_ the sticky.

Some of those notes mentioned volleyball! They could trace the writer to the volleyball club, and maybe even the boy's based on only his handwriting...

And then…

' _It would be unbearable, if these notes happened to be blown away by the wind today.'_ The thought fixated itself firmly in Kageyama's mind.

He stilled his hand.

And pulled it away.

However, when he did, he didn't think that he would feel something churning in him. Like the regret of a missed chance.

-/-

Shortly after, the bell rang for the end of lunch.

"Well, I'll see you at practice then."

Oh, right. They had practice after school. He'll be seeing him again today.

"Mm. See you then."

Footsteps.

' _I'll see you at practice then.'_

And from those words, though what happened earlier wasn't his fault, Hinata is reminded of Kageyama's coughs and vows to buy him a milk carton before practice starts.

At least he would be giving Kageyama something. At least it helped fill up _that_ void a little. Even if it didn't mean as much as what he meant to give.

After his mistake, he didn't really feel up to bracing himself all over again, building up an armour and calming his nerves. It might've been dumb, but he felt like he needed some time to heal.

-/-/-/-

The sun is setting, departing after a long day of shining.

Do shining stars ever get tired?

Kageyama supposes he knows the answer to that question, looking at his source of light as he pushes open the door to their clubroom.

He's wiping his head with a towel (because practice today was grueling and they're all soaked in sweat) when he walks over to him. He can only see strands of Hinata's bright orange hair that stick out. That's fine though.

"Hinata."

The boy in question stops momentarily, and turns his gaze upwards at the other. "Yeah?"

(Because seeing his brown eyes with that amber-ish tint makes up for it easily)

"Tomorrow, do you want to practice volleyball together?"

' _I need to get a grip and give you these sticky notes,'_ Kageyama thinks.

But aloud he says, "It's Saturday. So there won't be an after-school practice."

Hinata's his eyes brighten as he understands Kageyama's request and he smiles. "Sure! My house? There's that field nearby we could use."

"Sure."

And like that, another plan is set in motion. Except this time, they're both planning on seeing it through to the end.

-/-/-/-

There are days when he wakes up and he can already feel it seeping into his bones, that the day may not turn out to be as positive as he wishes.

Usually, his gut instinct is right in those times. Those are the days where he feels stressed over something, or is suddenly reminded of a test he didn't study for - much less remember. Those are the days when he trips into a puddle, where he scrapes his leg at practice, where _he messes up_.

But there are also days where he can just tell it'll be a bright day, a sunny day. And not only in weather. Those may be the days that Noya helps him on his volleyball skills, that the wind is blowing while he's on his bike, that maybe Tsukiyama and Kageyama don't start an argument every four minutes. Those days contain laughter from every volleyball club member and sunshine indoors and outdoors and inside of him and everything is maybe not going perfectly but it's good enough to be happy for.

Today, strangely, is not a day where he can feel either of those. Today is a day where he wakes up, and feels like what lies ahead is a clean slate. That maybe his actions could be the ones that carve a path and _make_ that change for something he might not even know he wants a change for.

Today is a day that him, and only him, gets to decide what directly affects what reaches to his heart, and what he can shut out if need be.

So Hinata doesn't know what will happen during this Saturday.

He only starts to know once the doorbell rings that afternoon, and he opens it - catching the first sight of the solid colour of black on hair.

-/-/-/-

How often is it that we practice together like this?

The first instinct might be to answer "not that often", but that answer could be wrong. If I dwelled on it further, I might realize this.

Usually, we practice indoors, true. Volleyball practice happens in the gym. Sometimes, we practice at lunch for some time. Even that is "one-on-one" and outside, similar to right now.

So then, why, do I feel like this is different?

I toss to him. It's not very humid right now, mostly pleasant.

He bumps it back - a high arch. Perfect for me to toss it back to him.

So I do.

You can tell he's been practicing. You can't tell that he's been practicing with me however, just from that.

It's not as if our lives are particularly anyone else's business, so I don't really mind.

After a few more tosses, he stops. Hinata straightens, wiping his forehead. "Want to head back for now? Or at least take a break?"

I straighten as well. The sun is almost going down and the breeze from earlier has died down. I wouldn't mind taking a break. "Sure."

"Okay."

Hinata starts heading back to his house, picking up the volleyball that lingers at his feet.

I stare at the green that has been tinted into an almost brown colour in the dying sunlight. The colour of the long grass blades in the field have becomes lighter, but the colour of Hinata's hair only intensifies.

Hm.

"You coming?"

'Yeah."

-/-/-/-

Walking back inside my house, Natsu encouragingly runs up to the door once it opens. "Nii-chan!"

I smile at her. "Hey, Natsu. Where's Mom?"

"Doing laundry outside," she replies. She then tilts her head to the side, arching it to look behind me. "Ka-ge-yama?"

He blinks in response to his name and I laugh.

"…hello, Hinata's little sister."

"Natsu!" she replies, pointing at herself.

I stifle another laugh as I say, "We're going to go to my room now, alright?"

"Okay!" Natsu beams before running off.

Kageyama watches her go. "...She has just as much energy as you do."

"Our parents say that a lot," I respond, as I take off my shoes.

He mimics the action. "I didn't know she knew my name."

"I talk a lot about volleyball and everyone during dinner and what not. You come up occasionally."

"I see."

Is this small talk? We make our way over to my room. Pushing open the wooden door, I glance at the small enclosure that is so familiar to me. For a passing second, I wonder how it looks like to Kageyama. It's not as if it's the first time he's been here, but nonetheless…

"I'll go get us some water."

I spin around on my heel deftly, not realizing Kageyama has been following me - or rather, had been following me _that_ closely. But before I can stop, momentum propels me forward and suddenly, we're standing face to face.

I almost collide head-first into his chest, and by the widening of his eyes, it looks like he wasn't expecting this either.

Should I feel embarrassed? Do I?

Then why do I feel like smiling?

"Sorry," I say, as he side-steps out of the path at the same time, blinking.

"...My bad," he replies. He casts his gaze downwards.

Making my way past him, I walk through the door and head towards the kitchen. My feet feel each step of the wooden stairs as I walk down and my hand feels the cold, smoothness of the railing, but not me. It's as if I don't physically feel anything at all.

Instead of feeling nervous, I feel something more like resignation. It feels like any feelings of hunger have disappeared. It feels warm, but not in the way like the bright sun shining on my skin does. It feels more like watching an orange sunset, bathing everything in one final muted tint. Not too bright, but definitely not dark at all.

It makes me feel somewhat tired, and my eyes droop slightly as I smile once more.

For some reason, I hope that the feeling never leaves.

-/-

"Sorry for the wait."

Kageyama looks up from his bag, meeting his eyes at the sound of Hinata's voice. He looks away soon enough. "It wasn't that long."

"Maybe not," comes the response, as Hinata lowers the tray he was carrying onto the table beside him. "Here."

The two glasses of water make a slight clink sound as they're set down.

' _This is it._ '

Kageyama gathered in his breath.

Why did he ever think that it would be a good idea to do this? It was like the exhilaration before a match. It was breathless. But the question was like asking why the sun rose in the morning.

It just did. It had to.

It had to be him.

"Hey, Hinata."

A sound of puzzlement, then Hinata turned his head towards him. "Yeah?"

As if keeping his gaze was hard, his eyes felt irritated and he turned his head away, rubbing at them. "Could you listen to me for a second?"

Hinata screwed up his face a little in response, smiling funnily at him. "Am I not doing that now?" he asked, wryly. He then glanced at the floor beside him, taking a seat on the ground.

"Just- just listen, alright? Or- don't. I actually have something to give you," he said, rather hastily. He willed the impending flush in his cheeks to die down.

Did amber eyes ever seem to shine this bright?

"It's funny how coincidences work," Hinata replies, after a pause. His voice is measured, but there's a gleam in his eyes. "Since I actually have something to give you, too."

And although he just sat down - love, Kageyama decides, is just as contradictory and hard to understand as the boy across from him - Hinata stands. He turns slightly toward Kageyama. "I'm listening. Let me just turn on the fan first - it's too warm in here after practicing."

"Sure." It's not as if he minds, really. He contemplates his next words as the patter of Hinata's feet sound across the floor. "...We've been partners for a while now."

Although Hinata isn't facing him anymore, he can hear the smile from his voice. "Yeah. Partners. Being part of the volleyball club has been really fun."

"I hadn't really been a part of a team before - not like this."

"It's the same for me, you know? There wasn't really a team for me to be a part of before I came to Karasuno."

Kageyama knows. He knows Hinata knows it too. "I was glad… at the beginning. At first, it was awkward. And different. It was difficult to adjust. But I made my own choices - and most of those I can say I don't regret now."

Holding the plug to the fan, Hinata looks over and makes eye contact with Kageyama. He smiles. "Me too."

"And… I wanted to tell you that."

Hinata scrunches up his face again, but by the colours in his face, you can tell he's genuinely happy to hear that. "And you just did. Thanks."

He may have resisted the urge to get up and walk over there just to smack him in the back of the head, but he doesn't resist the urge to smile. "No, you dolt," Kageyama rolls his eyes. "I meant back then."

He takes this moment, to bring out the sticky notes he's brought with him. His bag was already in Hinata's room before they left, and soon enough, those notes are on the table. He takes in a gulp of his water, trying to sooth the nerves inside him.

Hinata's back is still turned. "I know! I know!" There's a thoughtful pause. "This is like déjà vu."

"What do you mean by that?" He replies, in a curiously sincere way due to the topic.

And that is when Hinata turns on the fan.

-/-

' _What do I do?' Hinata thinks to himself, an unusual mix of calmness and nervousness flowing through his nerves. It's still the morning of a fateful Saturday, but Hinata rolls his eyes at his own melodramatic tendencies._

 _Still, he doesn't deny the fact that this Saturday is different. It's not as if Kageyama comes over every week._

' _Should I do it?' He sits up from the position he has from lying on his bed and bites his lip softly in this own thought. No, that isn't even a question. If he stalls now, he may as well stall forever._

 _He better get it over with today, then._

 _Silently wishing for the best, he stands up and walks over to his school bag. As he removes a pile of small notes and places it on the desk in his room, his resolve is set._

 _For even if he doesn't need the other to_ live _, he knows a large part of his world revolves around him. And it's this knowledge that moves him to act._

-/-

Kageyama hears the yelp of distress before he feels the rush of wind from the fan. (First off, why is it so _strong_?)

"Ah!" Hinata cries out. It's so sudden that Kageyama flinches and turns to the orange-haired boy. He watches as his face changes from surprise to panic to something indescribable.

But Kageyama hears his own blood pumping in his ears, because, _no_ , are those his…?

However, Hinata follows his original cry with, "My notes!"

And that causes Kageyama to freeze, then blink. After a moment's pause, he questions the other. " _Your_ notes?"

Even in his seemingly-panicked state, Hinata meets his eyes while his hands are reaching out to grasp what the fan blows away. "A long time ago, near the beginning like you said, I wanted to show you my appreciation too! So I wrote it on a note, and- darn!" A tiny square of light orange paper escapes his reach.

Kageyama grabs one as Hinata explains. His eyes widen at what he sees, although Hinata lets out a frustrated noise, saying, "How come this fan is so strong, anyways?!"

' _I don't think I would've believed I could've felt this right in a team, if you weren't there along side me.'_

Even in his bewildered state, he catches a glance of his own handwriting on a paper. A quick look to his side tells him that, no, those _are_ his notes, swimming in the air. The ones in the air are just not all his.

"I never gave them to you," says a quiet voice, "but I planned to. ...Wait, did I write this many?"

"No," Kageyama replies, standing up. Hinata looks at him then. "I wrote notes, too. Sticky notes."

His eyes widen, looking at Kageyama in slight disbelief.

"For the same reason, as well… Words were just slightly too hard. They turned into… kind of what I like about you though."

"Me too," Hinata says, his eyes wider than normal.

"But you should turn off the fan before we get papercuts in uncomfortably, odd places."

His lips make a slight "O" shape, before he scrambles to shut off the fan. A push of a button later, and there's a slight grimace as paper lands on the two of them, before fluttering to the floor with uncanny grace.

After all, it's just paper right? (No, they both knew better than to think that these sheets weren't exceptional).

And so they stood, sharing a silent moment as paper littered the floor like autumn leaves. After a pause so drawn out it felt like infinity, Hinata briefly turned his eyes to Kageyama.

But he was already looking. As amber met blue, he nodded, as if Hinata needed an affirmative, a permission of some sort.

He gave him a small smile back, then crouched down, grabbing one of the papers at last.

The tiny moment of eternity was broken then, but they didn't mind. They simply went about the next logical thing: reading the notes. It was finally time, then. A hand across the floor, brushing across a piece of paper. The movement of the eyes as it scanned across the words. They would've taken any amount of papercuts for this.

At the same time, both of them happened upon a certain note. Two different notes, each finding one written by the opposite person. But they were similar enough. Perhaps it was because the handwriting was more rushed than normal on these particular sticky notes. Or maybe it was because they both caught glance of a specific word.

In any case, neither of them had the willpower to not read it, with that word that lured them in like sweet nothings whispered into loving ears.

…

"Hey," Hinata spoke first. "Did you mean it? What you said on this note - on every note?"

"I did," came the reply, blue-eyes surprisingly soft. "I do," Kageyama corrected.

The smile he got in return was unsurprisingly bright. "I do too."

Was it wrong, what he did next? Well, there wasn't a person to be the judge of that (even if there was, Kageyama doubted he would've listened). It was just what he wanted to do in that moment. And so Kageyama walked over to him and pulled Hinata into his arms.

It was a warm hug, and Hinata smiled into his chest, wrapping his arms tight as well. He closed his eyes, and relaxed, because after all that tension and hard-work, it finally felt like everything was paying off. How fitting, that a moment so _right_ , didn't have to be in a setting unbelievably "special".

No one is there to tell them to clean up the notes _(not that they want to),_ nor to tell them how each other feels ( _not that they don't know)._

No one is there to tell them anything.

But in that moment, it's not as if anything else matters to them anyway.

-End-

* * *

 **A/N** : Thank you for reading, once again! I'm astounded people even manage to bear with me and with the mindless fluff that I care to write about. If you spent your time reading this, I hope you enjoyed it. ^^


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